Dhawan hails Williamson as 'calm storm in T20Is' as NZ great retires from shorter format

New Delhi, Nov 2 (IANS) Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan praised New Zealand great Kane Williamson, who has announced his retirement from T20I cricket, as a 'calm storm' of the shorter format for his composed and graceful batting.

Williamson retires with immediate effect after playing 93 T20I matches for New Zealand and scoring more than 2500 runs in the shortest format. He will continue to participate in Test and ODI cricket.

Dhawan, who was Williamson's teammate during his stay in IPL franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad, shared on X, "Bro #KaneWilliamson, what a calm storm you’ve been in T20Is! Always admired the way you led with composure and batted with grace. Wishing you happiness and success in every innings beyond this format!"

The 35-year-old batter, who made his T20I debut in 2011, captained New Zealand on 75 occasions – leading them to two ICC T20 World Cup semi-finals (2016 & 2022) and a final (2021). He retires as New Zealand’s second-highest men’s T20I runs-scorer with 2575 runs at an average of 33, including 18 half-centuries and a highest score of 95.

“It’s something that I’ve loved being a part of for a long period of time and I’m so grateful for the memories and experiences. It’s the right time for myself and the team. It gives the team clarity for the series moving forward and ahead of their next major focus which is the T20 World Cup. There’s so much T20 talent there and the next period will be important to get cricket into these guys and get them ready for the World Cup," Williamson said in a statement on Sunday.

Williamson, who drew down the curtain on his 93-game T20I career months before the next T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February, was the notable absentee from the squad for the upcoming white-ball series against West Indies. He will concentrate on the three-Test series in December.

--IANS

bc/vi